First Contact, Not So Hot
by heidilynn
Summary: When the team makes contact with a new race, things spiral out of control fast.  SamDaniel pairing


Title: First Contact, Not So Hot  
Author: Heidi  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: These are not my characters and I am making no money off of them.  
Feedback: I love to hear what you guys reading this have to say. This is my first Stargate SG-1 fan fic, so please be kind. I have to thank my beta-reader Shelby who really came through for me on this one.

"So this is PX3-694," Sam said as she looked around at the lush green vegetation surrounding them. She'd already put on sunglasses to block out the bright sunshine. There was not a cloud in the sky above them. If she didn't know better, she would swear they were still back on Earth.

"Yeah, from the sun's position, I would say it's somewhere around lunchtime," Daniel mentioned as he began to unload the equipment they'd brought with them. They were taking back samples to study the planet's environment.

"Indeed." Teal'c munched on a nutrition bar he pulled from a vest pocket and kept a watch over the other members of the team.

"This planet seems deserted." Daniel adjusted his green uniform and the gun he was forced into carrying on missions. He'd argued, but eventually gave in.

"Looks like we've got company." Sam nodded towards an approaching group of natives.

"They do not seem to be carrying weapons of any kind," Teal'c used his field binoculars to survey the group that was approaching their current position near the gate. Daniel took the binoculars and began making notes about the native group. He was still a scientist at heart and first contact situations were always important to him.

"That's a good sign," Sam was relieved that they didn't appear to be hostile. "Let's see what they want."

"I am Sydtren, leader of the Roggetts." A dark haired man spoke as he stepped out from the group. 

Sam and the team took note of the people standing before them. They were all dressed in jewel toned robes and wore leather strap sandals on their feet. The elders wore dark purple robes and carried large wooden sticks with a metal plate that was attached to a what appeared to be a large colored gemstone on the top.

"We're from Earth. We come in peace to explore your planet." Daniel was their diplomat when it came to first contact situations. Sam was quite happy to let him make the first contact as he was practically bouncing up and down at the prospect of meeting a new society. They hadn't made a first contact in quite a long time.

The man furiously shook his head at them. "You must leave immediately. You are not welcome here."

"We're just explorers." Daniel was trying to keep things calm. They'd run into this kind of thing before when they'd gated to patriarchal societies that followed strict rules and didn't allow for the possibility of any other outside influences.

"Silence, you will leave now or feel our wrath." The man loomed over them with his change in demeanor. Sam noticed that even the slight breeze chilled her to the core.

"Daniel, maybe we should go and come back later." Sam edged back toward the gate's direction.

"Come on, Sam. " Daniel didn't want to go and leave this place this soon after arriving. He was sure that he could learn something here. "My name is Daniel and I want to learn..." His voice was silenced by a bright flash of light that drove him to his knees, gasping in pain. Sam could see the bright red blood oozing through the green shirt that he was wearing.

"You disobeyed your leader. You will be punished." The elder went to fire his weapon again at Daniel, but Sam stepped between the two men.

"We're leaving now." Sam went to grab Daniel's vest to pull him to his feet, but she was grabbed by another dark haired man whose grip was sure to leave bruises on her arm.

"No, you have violated our ways. You have insulted us. You will suffer." Another man grabbed Daniel's vest and drug him along the ground, the pain was evident on his face. Sam watched him bite his lip to keep from crying out.

"Let me help him, he's hurt." Sam pleaded with the elders.

"No, he must suffer." The man refused to listen to her and gave an order to return to the village.

Sam was helpless as she watched her friend suffer. They were led back to the village with weapons aimed at them at all times. 

The village was small, but compact with most of the buildings right next to each other. The various stone and wooden buildings were a lot like the buildings in other villages they'd visited before. Most of the villagers were hard at work and only stopped to glance at Daniel being drug through the streets. Sam witnessed them shaking their heads and going right back to what they'd been doing.

The hut they were led into was small and rustic. Sam was thankful that there wasn't a dirt floor. The floor was made of simple, but solid wood boards nailed together. She didn't even want to know what the stains on the floor consisted of. There was a small window at the top, but not big enough for any one of them to escape out of. It didn't escape anyone's eyes that there was a complex lock on the door.

"You're gonna be okay, Daniel." Sam said, after assessing his stomach wound and treating him the best she could with what she had in her vest. She'd already given him some Tylenol to take the edge off the pain, but she didn't think it would be enough after looking at the bloody wound.

She and Teal'c had taken off their vests in order to make Daniel as comfortable as possible with their limited supplies. Thankfully, she'd had the good sense to pack basic first aid supplies in her vest. They'd all learned through the years not to rely on always having packs with them if they were captured.

"Yeah." Daniel had been injured enough before to know that he wasn't doing all that great, but it wasn't that bad either.

"Hopefully, this will all be over soon." Sam tried to keep a positive face for Daniel's sake.

"Come with me." A man yanked her by her arm towards the door. She'd been so busy concentrating on Daniel that she hadn't even heard him come in. Hopefully, Teal'c had been noticing how the lock on the door operated and would be able to fill in her when she got back from wherever they were taking her.

Sam was led into a room that was decorated with flowing fabrics on the wall and what appeared to be a small sitting area in the middle. She thought it might be a high council meeting room and found a single wooden chair across from three larger, ornately engraved chairs. Sam uncomfortably sat down in the wooden chair, waiting.

"How is your man?" Sydtren asked, entering from a side door with three village elders. They all took their places across from her on royal looking chairs.

"Daniel is hurt pretty bad. We meant no harm and just want to go home. We are explorers. Your world is new to us and we wanted to learn as much as we could."

"Nonsense. You may be explorers, but you still violated our societal rules."

"We did not know of your rules and are sorry for have broken them, but you must allow us to go home and seek medical treatment for our man." Sam didn't like referring to Daniel as their 'man', but she was trying to respect the culture they'd been exposed to.

"No. If we allow you to break the rules, our citizens will do the same thing and that would lead to chaos here. We can not have that." One of the elders said and the other two nodded in agreement.

Sam knew it was no use to continue to argue with the elders. They'd clearly made up their minds.

"What will happen now?" Sam asked.

"You will stay here and he will suffer for his disobedience. You are the leader of your group and he refused to listen to your orders."

"How do you plan to make him an example to your people?" Sam asked, curious to what they had planned.

"He will not be given any medical care by our shaman. He will feel all the pain our weapon inflicted upon him."

"You intend to kill him?" Sam worked to control her outrage at these antiquated ideas.

"We are not barbarians. This is what we must do to keep our society in line." The man looked just as outraged as she felt inside.

"You want your citizens to fear you by making an example of an innocent person who does not follow your rules. You are using death to control them." Sam said.

"The people understand why we have to do this. They have learned not to question the decisions made by their leaders. We are doing this for them." An elder spoke slowly to Sam, to try to make her understand.

"I understand." Sam was burning inside, but all her military training kicked in to remain calm and controlled. It would worsen the situation if she let her emotions come out.

"You will be returned to your hut and remain there until the final moments when your friend is to be taken to the village circle and our citizens will witness his death. At that time, you will be taken back to the gate and never be allowed to come back here."

"What is the usual time span for this punishment?" Sam figured that she needed to get all the information she could while the elders were being so forthcoming. They had to make a plan and get the hell out of here.

"Two days. Not a day longer. Most can not stand the pain even that long. The infection tends to spread through the body quickly." An elder summoned a guard from the entryway to the sitting room. "We are sorry you have to learn our ways in this manner, my dear."

"I bet," Sam said under her breath as the guard grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room.

Several Hours Later...

"Daniel, take some more Tylenol." Sam passed him three more white tablets. She'd carefully peeled up his black tee-shirt and removed the bandage to reassess his wound. It had taken on a deeper shade of red. That was not a good sign. The infection was spreading through his body at an alarming rate.

"Okay." Daniel suppressed a groan of pain as he shifted his body and swallowed the medicine.

"How are you feeling?" She could read the pain on his face that he was desperately trying to hide.

"The pain has definitely gotten worse." Daniel grimaced as a wave of pain hit him. Sam watched him intently as he fell into a pain laced sleep. She laid a soft hand on his forehead and found he was burning up, just as she'd suspected. They had to find a way out now, before Daniel got worse. 

"Teal'c, help me," Sam called, finding a partially broken board in the floor. She been searching the hut for the greater part of an hour. They had to get out of there now. Daniel was getting worse and they didn't have any more time to waste.

"Yes, Colonel Carter." The two of them managed to break the rest of the board and pull it out of the floor. Using their strength, they were able to force the door jam apart and the door sprang open. They held their breath, hoping that no one was around. It was the middle of the night and the guards had apparently retired to their own homes. The village's people were very rustic and didn't think their newest prisoners would even attempt an escape with one of their own so sick.

"Let's go. Help me with Daniel." She tried to be as gentle as she could, but they were on a time crunch. Both of them slipped into their vests quickly.

"I will do it, Colonel Carter." Teal'c easily hauled the other man to his feet and then over his broad shoulders. Sam cautiously peered out the door. It was all quiet.

"Let's go, Teal'c." 

Daniel tried to keep the pain he was feeling to himself. Every step jostled the wound. He was almost sure there was blood running down his side. They would be home soon, he kept telling himself each time before he blacked out from the pain. 

Sam breathed a sigh of relief when she started dialing the gate. Teal'c deposited an unconscious Daniel next to the DHD. A sudden flash of light from the forest caught her eye.

"We've got company," She said, aiming her weapon and firing at the natives surrounding them. The fire seemed to startle the natives back a little. The people who had taken them prisoner hadn't paid much attention to the MALP. They'd been able to access weapons that were in a secret compartment.

"Yes, Colonel Carter." Teal'c aimed his own weapon, driving the natives back and giving Sam cover fire so she could finish dialing and put in their code.

"It's okay, Daniel. The gate is dialing and we'll be home soon." She tried to keep him comforted as best she could while making sure they weren't hit by weapon blasts. Sam knew that he had blacked out again and probably couldn't even hear her.

"Colonel Carter, the gate is active." Teal'c said between firing his weapon to drive the natives back. They'd gotten bolder as more of them poured out of the forest, all armed. They were slowly advancing toward the team's position at the gate.

"Go, now." Sam shouted at Teal'c as she summoned all her strength and dragged Daniel into the wormhole.

"Unscheduled off-world activity. It's SG-1's IDC code," Walter said, reading the computer screen.

"Open the iris." General Landry was already rushing out of the room and down the stairs into the gate room to await the team.

The team fell through the gate and rolled down the ramp with Sam still holding onto Daniel's vest.

"We need medical right away in the gate room." General Landry picked up the phone as soon as the team fell down the ramp. "Colonel Carter, what happened?"

"Long story, sir."

"All right. We debrief in an hour. Go get yourself checked out." Landry shook his head. They'd likely made a new enemy from sound of things.

Sam stood under the hot pulsating water willing herself to wash away the dirt and trauma of the last few days. There was not enough hot water to drive the images out of her mind.

"How is he?" Sam asked Dr. Carolyn Lam as she came out of Daniel's cubicle.

"He's under sedation, but he'll be fine." Carolyn reassured her friend.

"What was the full extent of the injury?" She asked, hoping they'd gotten home in time for Daniel not to suffer any negative side effects.

"The blast struck him in the side, but it was primarily a flesh wound that called for about 50 stitches. The wound did become infected, which is why it was so inflamed, but we have him on some pretty heavy-duty antibiotics that should knock it out in a few days or so."

"Thank goodness he's going to be okay." Sam worried about Daniel all the time. He was the only one on the team without a military background. He'd learned on the job from the rest of the team.

"Don't feel guilty. There's nothing you could have done." Carolyn said, looking at Sam and trying to get a read on her feelings.

"Easy for you to say. You weren't out there. You didn't see him in pain and know there was nothing you could do for him."

"No, I didn't, but Sam, you can't blame yourself. It happened and it will probably happen again." She was fairly aware of the dangers the SG teams faced on missions. She'd seen plenty of injuries.

"Hey Sunshine." Cameron Mitchell playfully said when Daniel opened his eyes.

"Where's Sam and Teal'c?" He glanced around the private room.

"They're in debriefing Landry. Sounds like I missed a hell of a party." Cameron had volunteered to sit with Daniel in case he woke up while the rest of the team was busy.

"Just a regular party." Daniel quipped and moaned as he moved slightly.

"Take it easy, man. You've got about 50 stitches there."

"Great." Daniel said and rested his head against the pillow.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No, I just need to sleep." Daniel's eyes fluttered and he fell asleep again.

"How is he?" Sam asked, having rushed down after the debriefing.

"He was awake for a few minutes and his latest test results look good." Dr. Lam said with a smile.

"Great."

"He's indefinitely grounded." Carolyn said, worried that Daniel would try to do too much, too fast. She wanted him to be completely recovered before he went off world again.

"Yeah, we all are. General Landry thinks we can all use some down time."

Back in her own on base quarters, Sam looked at the white bandages covering parts of her own hands. Carolyn had pulled splinters she hadn't realized were in her hands. The pain hadn't registered until the adrenaline had worn off.

One Week Later...

Daniel paced around his cozy little apartment. The blue and gray walls were always comforting to him. He felt surprisingly alive around all the pottery, artifacts, and books on the Ancients. He was starting to go stir-crazy and practically ran to the front door when he heard a knock.

"Hey Sam." He smiled at her as she stood on his front porch. "Come on in."

Sam walked into the living room of Daniel's small apartment. It reminded her of his office/lab that bore the same style of eclectic furnishings and artifacts.

"How are you doing?" She'd wanted to come and see him earlier in the week, but she'd had to go off-world on a rescue mission to retrieve SG-12 who'd managed to get themselves in a compromising position that had taken a lot of negotiations with the indigenous peoples to get them out of it.

"I'm fine. No off-world missions for a couple of weeks." Daniel was glad to see her. He missed being on the base with his friends, but Dr. Lam had insisted he go home to his apartment to recover.

"I just wanted to come and check on you." She had missed seeing him around Cheyenne Mountain and figured he might be up for a visit.

"Thanks Sam."

She knew she'd come here for another reason other than just to check on him. Being off-world and seeing him in pain had brought long hidden feelings to the surface. She was honestly afraid of losing the one person she loved and shouldn't be loving in the first place.

Daniel was glad to see Sam. He missed her. They had a connection that most people couldn't fathom. It was deeper than anything he'd ever experienced in his life.

Over dinner and drinks, Sam was finally sure that Daniel was okay. She had always worried about him like an older sister because he had a tendency to go with his heart instead of his head and that often led to the team being in jeopardy. Sam wasn't sure where along the way her feelings had changed for Daniel, but they undeniably had.

Sam and Daniel fell into each other's arms, kissing. Neither one really noticed who made the move to make it more, but no one was complaining. His strong hands roamed her body.

When had he developed muscles, she thought to herself, as her own hands played seductively on his chest.

The lust induced fog cleared from his brain once they'd reached his bedroom door. If they went past this imaginary line, things would never be the same. He gently held her away from him.

"I want this, Daniel," Sam said as she felt him push her away.

"I don't want to push you Sam." Daniel didn't want to screw up the friendship he had with her. She was one of the few friends that he had.

She wrapped her arms around him, planting a deep kiss on his lips to shut him up. 

"This is awkward." Sam said, dressing quickly and not looking him in the eye.

"It doesn't have to be." Daniel said.

"What?"

"Come on, Sam. We both have these feelings. We just acted on them instead of ignoring them again."

"I need time to think."

"Don't think I would look at you differently because of this. This is private and no one can ruin that for us." Daniel watched her shimmy into a thin tank top that he'd had so much pleasure in removing earlier in the evening. "Nothing changes us, Sam. It won't change how I react to you in the field or taking orders from you."

"That's what most people would say, but when it comes right down to it, things are different between us. No matter how much you don't want to acknowledge it." Sam wished it could be as simple as Daniel thought it would be, but she'd seen military careers be ruined by things of this nature.

"Don't worry so much and stay." Daniel figured they'd could hash all of this out in the morning. It was the middle of the night and he wasn't up for a discussion like this after they'd fallen into his bed in a passionate fit. Sam had been a considerate lover and made an effort to not hurt his side.

"What?" She whipped her head and body around to look at him.

"Stay the night."

"Daniel..." She wasn't sure if she should even stay until she figured out what this was and what she wanted.

"No sex, just sleep, Sam. I'm still convalescing here." He just wanted her there. He wanted to feel safe with her by his side.

"Okay." She wasn't sure about anything anymore, but snuggled next to him and quickly fell asleep.

Two hearts beating as one. 


End file.
